I'll admit it. I am that girl, sitting on my bathroom vanity, legs crossed, six inches from the mirror. I am forever obsessed with the state of my skin, so it would only be fitting that I would have convinced myself that I have the largest pores on Planet Earth. Luckily for myself and women like me, there are things we can do to help ourselves. Listen up, ladies.
First off, I believe that having a good canvas for your foundation is the most important thing that a woman can invest in when it comes to her beauty. Why spend money on expensive primers and foundations when simply working on you skin can erase any need for such things? As I said above, my large pores are the bane of my existence, but instead of worrying about pore minimizing primers (even though I occasionally use them) I instead focus my energy on fixing the problem. Through much trial and error, I have found that the best drugstore pore minimizing products for me have been the Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser and Toner duo. Both of these products work well on their own, but they work excellently together! Here are the details …
Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser and Toner
- Cleanser contains 6.7 fl oz.
- Toner contains 8.5 fl oz.
- Both cost $ 7.49 (suggested retail price)
- Cleanser contains physical (micro beads) and chemical (AHA's and BHA's) exfoliants
- Toner only contains chemical exfoliants
- Refines pores
- Smoothing skin
- Makes skin appear more radiant
- Non-comedogenic
- Dermatologist tested
- You only need a small amount
- Available where Neutrogena is sold
For application, just apply a dime size amount of the cleanser onto your face and neck and work this into your skin in circular motions. The great thing about this cleanser is that it contains physical and chemical exfoliants. This means it contains micro beads to slough off dead skin (physical) and Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids (chemical) to refine the skin. You get double the exfoliation in half the time! The use of the Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids may make your skin tingle slightly. But do not worry, thats just the AHA's and BHA's getting to work. Now, if you have a burning sensation, this means you have over exfoliated and should rinse off the formula and call it a day (trust me, I have done this same thing!). If this happens, you may want to try building up use of this product. For a more intense cleansse, apply a thin coat all over face and neck and let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse your skin using a Clarisonic cleansing device. Trust me, your pores will look nonexistent! The Neutrogena website claims that after one week of use, this cleanser will make pores appear to be half their size. I do not know about all that, but this is definitely a quick fix in the morning to help create a flawless canvas before foundation!
After using the cleanser, follow up with a hefty amount of the Pore Refining Toner. Soak a cotton ball with the toner and apply all over your face and your neck. This toner is so strong that it sloughs off even more dry skin cells and really does refine your pores to make them look even smaller that you just used the cleanser alone. Although, depending on if you have sensitive skin (like myself), or have done a lot of exfoliation before using this product, your skin might burn a little. A little bit of a burn is OK, but it if becomes uncomfortable, again, try building up use of this product.
Using products with chemical exfoliants can be tricky to start off with. Every woman is different and therefore, you should tailor your use of this product to fit your skin's needs. For example, when I first started using this duo, my skin could only handle using it a couple times a week! Now I can comfortably use it once a day. It is definitely worth the effort though! For a gal with large pores, this stuff is my secret weapon!